Manage Your Trauma with These Apps

People who struggle with PTSD often need extra support to help handle their symptoms. Trauma can cause serious issues that can interfere with daily life and having any type of assistance available can allow patients to manage their every day struggles. Resources such as mobile apps can be a helpful supplementary treatment option for people who are in recovery from post traumatic stress disorder.

Apps can allow people who are already seeing a regular therapist or who have just completed a treatment program to maintain their progress. It can be a simple way to check in with your recovery goals and stay in touch with something positive every day. These apps are designed to help people deal with their trauma and other mental health issues that might be affecting them.

Mindfulness Coach

This app is designed for people learning mindfulness strategies to help stabilize their mood and become more aware of their emotions. Mindfulness is helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, depression and other issues that many people with PTSD tend to face. The app offers users a number of different exercises so that they can practice mindfulness techniques and even track their progress.

ACT Coach

Negative emotions are a part of life and this app was created to help people cope with the difficult thoughts and feelings that come up naturally in their lives. ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and it allows people to learn to live with their emotions and accept them instead of running away or letting them control you. It was specifically developed for Veterans struggling with symptoms of PTSD and provides useful exercises, tools and tracking logs to practice the skills patients learn in therapy.

Breathe2Relax

Breathing techniques and strategies can be particularly helpful for people who struggle with anxiety and need to work on relaxation to reduce stress. This app is a very effective stress management tool that provides users with diaphragmatic breathing exercises to decrease the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress. It helps users control their emotions so that they don’t become overwhelming and allows them to stabilize their mood quickly when they are faced with an emotional trigger.

Dream EZ

People diagnosed with PTSD often deal with very intense nightmares which can disrupt their sleep and negatively affect their health. Dream EZ is an app that was designed to help people diminish the intensity and frequency of their nightmares by using techniques of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. It allows people to “rewrite” their nightmares and change them into less disturbing images so that they are able to have more relaxed and peaceful sleep.

Moving Forward

Veterans often have the highest rates of PTSD and they are faced with many challenges when they return home from their time in the service. Moving Forward is an app that was mainly designed for Veterans to overcome obstacles and deal with stress that is affecting their transition back to civilian life. It can help with many issues including financial difficulties, balancing family and work, making career decisions and a number of other problems that may be affecting them.

PTSD Coach

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health issue with very specific challenges that people must face. This app provides people with more information about PTSD including a self-assessment tool, lists of places for support and professional care as well as a number of tools to help manage symptoms. The app has tools for relaxation, anger management and other strategies that are useful in treating symptoms of PTSD.

VetChange

Veterans frequently face a myriad of issues when they return home including PTSD and issues of addiction. VetChange is an app that helps Veterans address their issues with drinking or other addictions and understand how they relate to their mental health problems. It provides tools for moderating or quitting drinking, stress management skills and other crucial strategies that will help Veterans achieve better physical and mental health.

Even though these apps can be helpful it is important to keep in mind that there is no single app that can act solely as a treatment plan for a serious problem like PTSD. People who have issues with trauma need support from professional therapists and psychiatrists who can help them work through their trauma and learn coping mechanisms to deal with their mental health symptoms. Once you are involved in a treatment plan you can utilize apps as a way to stay on track whenever you are on your own and are struggling with certain emotional triggers.

These kinds of apps can serve as a reminder to stay connected to treatment and work on the exercises that improve your mental health. Breathing, mindfulness, relaxation, anger management and other exercises can be incorporated into your daily routine through the use of mobile apps. For PTSD these techniques can help manage stress and minimize symptoms so that patients enjoy better health overall.